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From the Board - Archive 2010
December 2010
Joe Coco
Financial Secretary
Do You Oneg? Part II – An Update
In a 2009 Menorah article I wrote that in New York City streets and subways I was amazed at how many people listen to music on their MP3 players. In fact sometimes the volume is so high I can hear their music (and they are using headphones). I had mentioned that while in Rome, Italy I did not see anyone using an MP3 player.
Since that article I have noticed more of the same. While on BART (subway) and CalTrain in San Francisco, many people were using MP3 players. Like Rome, I noticed that in Paris and London, both on the streets and in the subways, no one was using an MP3 player. But it is not only MP3 players. In my visits to U.S. cities I notice people regularly using cell phones to both talk and text message in public. In European cities it was difficult to locate anyone using a cell phone or text messaging in public.
I frequent a diner for lunch near my office. We all have our routines in life that keep us in our "comfort" zone. Three patrons stand out among the regulars. Usually the first to arrive is a girl with a laptop equipped with an air card (she can get the internet using cell towers) and a cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. She sits down, opens up her laptop and starts surfing the web. Usually about 15 minutes later a male friend walks in. He gives her a little grunt to say "hello I'm here,"to which she gives him a nod in recognition without looking up from her screen. He sits down next to her, brandishes his I-Phone, opens some apps (software applications) and starts playing games on his I-Phone. Shortly thereafter a second male friend walks in, gives the same grunt, the same head nod is forthcoming in response. He sits down with the first two and with Blackberry in hand starts to text message. They are all in their mid-twenties. They proceed to spend the next 45 minutes on their mobile devices, in their own little world, either web surfing, playing games or text messaging. Then usually around 12:50PM they get up, verbally indicate that they have to get back to the grind of work, and walk out. What is wrong with this picture? First they are at someone's business whose livelihood is selling food, and they ordered nothing. To make matters worse the girl always brings in her own coffee. Second, they spent 45 minutes together without interacting. Why did they even bother to leave their offices? Is this considered getting away from work and relaxing? They do this at least 3 times per week.
Recently my son had his bar mitzvah reception at TBE's Vista on the Hill. There were about 50 teens present. The dinner reception with DJ started around 6:30PM. By 10PM all the teens stopped dancing, moved from Vista on the Hill to the TBE lobby and proceeded to text message. The DJ had been trying for the last hour to engage them. Most stated that they were tired. Tired?? At thirteen years old, they can't be tired. Even the catering staff thought it was a great party and could not figure out why these teens were zoned out and text messaging. Who were they text messaging? Were they text messaging each other? My assessment was that the teens were bored. On November 2nd, while managing a polling place in Danbury, I ran into several of these teens' moms and several moms whose teens were not at the party. They all had the same comment - "I heard it was a great party. So-and-so had the best time of their life." I guess this dispels my boredom theory.
While technology is great, it can be regressive. Personal mobile electronic devices allow people to disconnect from the rest of the world. Also, a recent study has linked increased drug and alcohol use to regular intense use of personal mobile electronic devices. What does this have to do with onegs? Onegs allow us the time and place to interact face to face with other humans, without the use of electronics. With that said, during an oneg, find me and explain to me what the diner threesome and the bar mitzvah teens are doing during their "self" time. I just can't figure it out.
B'Shalom,
Joe
November 2010
David Eppinger
First Vice-President
Were You There?
Another season has begun at Temple Beth Elohim. Have you taken advantage of all we have offered in the past few weeks? It's amazing to think of all we have done in just the past 5 weeks as I write this.
Were you there?
- Annual Golf Tournament - 80 golfers had a magnificent round of golf at Morefar, and helped raise money to benefit TBE.
- Yom Kippur Break Fast - a wonderful spread of food to help celebrate the end of the High Holydays, and a great chance to spend some time with fellow members as we ended our fast.
- Pizza in the Hut - our Sukkah was used for many activities during the holiday, including over 120 members having a simple Shabbat meal in the Sukkah. Some hearty youth and adults slept overnight as well.
- Men's Club / Sisterhood - our affiliate groups have started their activities with projects around the Temple, and doing charitable works in the community. Have you been involved? Stop in at the next meeting.
- Bingo - Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday night is another opportunity to have a great night in at Vista on the Hill, and to possibly win up to $3,000.
- Simchat Torah / Consecration - It was an amazing sight to watch the youngest members of our Temple come to the Bimah, celebrate the Torah, and to watch as we unfurled the Torah around the Sanctuary. Truly a celebration of the gift of the Torah to our people.
- Dad's Band - what a wonderful evening of music and fun in the Social Hall, as some of our Temple family brought their musical talent and friends to TBE for a nice evening of music.
- Cancer Walk - our Sisterhood participated in the Support Connection walk again this year to benefit others in their battle against Cancer.
- Mah Jongg - over 3 dozen participants will hold a Mah Jongg tournament at TBE. We hope this will be an event that will happen many more times, and may gain a new following. Come learn this timeless game of skill and luck.
- Adult Education - Rabbi Laurie is hosting adult educational discussions on alternating Sunday mornings. No experience necessary, just an open mind.
- Su-Coat - We have been collecting coats to help others in need.
With all of these events in just the past 5 weeks, it's amazing to think of what we have still coming up in our calendar. Will you help make these events GREAT?
- We are planning on some Social Nights - do you like to play games? How about a talent night? Got a skill you would like to share? Come with an idea, and we can help you get something on the calendar.
- Social Action - We are hoping to re-invigorate our Social Action committee. We have a mission to 'help heal the world'. What can you do to help us reach that goal? What activity should we do to help others? All good suggestions considered.
- Thanksgiving Ecumenical Service - we have participated in this multi Church / Temple event for many years. Let's show our community that we care, and want to share our common goals and prayers for a better community and world.
- Hanukkah - In a few short weeks we will be celebrating our beloved holiday of Hanukkah. How can you help us make this a most festive event for our Temple family, and your family.
There are so many things that we do each year at Temple Beth Elohim, and we need and want your participation. Got an idea? We're all ears. Want to help out, and not be the 'chief cook and bottle washer'? We can use your help. Many hands make for light work, and lots of fun.
Families participate in activities, and help out with the chores (events). We are all family. Pick up a pen, raise your hand, and be a part of our family.
B'Shalom,
David
October 2010
Janet Mauro
Second Vice-President
The Shofar’s Call
As I sat with the choir on Rosh Hashanah and listened to the call of the Shofarot as they made their way around the sanctuary, it brought me back in time. I tried to imagine how it sounded to those in the little villages who heard the call as it traveled from mountaintop to mountaintop. People stopped … the sound called their attention to something important. Have we begun the new month? Were our people in danger? Was it time to reflect on the past year and to prepare one’s self for the new one? These were days when communication from afar was difficult; therefore when one received a message, attention was paid.
How different it is today. Modes of communication are abundant and easy, low tech and high tech. Our mailboxes and inboxes are often overwhelmed with volume. We are so ‘wired’ – we carry phones and little computers with us wherever we go, we instant message, we leave voice mails, we text, and we tweet. We tell people about every little detail of our lives, no matter how inconsequential. We communicate so much that I wonder if we can even really hear anything at all anymore. Can we discern when a friend or neighbor is in need? Can we separate the ordinary from the extraordinary? Do we know when to just stop and listen?
What struck me in the quiet of the sanctuary is that the sound of the Shofar, so different than the cacophony that usually exists all around us, truly seemed to call our attention. It was time to 'wake-up!' and really evaluate the way we have lived our lives this past year.
As we enter the year 5771, I pray that as a temple family we can remember the call of the Shofar and together we can work to listen a little more deeply to the needs of those around us - in our homes, in the temple and in our communities. If we do this, if we listen for "Kol D'mama Daka", the still, small voice 2 of God amid the hubbub that surrounds us daily, we will be able to bring a bit more peace and well-being into our world through acts of tikkun olam.
B'Shalom
Janet
July 2010
David Eppinger
First Vice-President
Passion
We do our best when we are involved, engaged, and passionate about what we are doing.
Take your job, as an example. If you know the project or task at hand very well, and are enthusiastic about the outcome, you will approach that task with greater thought and passion so you will succeed.
In our Temple, we are passionate about a great many things. We are passionate about our love and respect for Rabbi Acrish; we are passionate about our children's teachers and the devotion they bring to the classroom each Sunday; we are passionate about the dedication of the teacher's aides in helping to teach our children, and to display leadership by example for our children; we are passionate for the dedicated work of our Temple administration (Nan and Roberta); we are passionate about our Temple family and friends.
How can we help our Temple to grow and mature with this passion we have for TBE?
Find something that you are passionate about at Temple, and jump in.
- Would you like to meet more of our members and neighbors for friendly discussions, or playing games, or to simply socialize? We can help foster and nurture that group.
- Is there a function or program that sounds like it would be interesting to try at TBE, but you are not sure if others would be interested? Let us know. We can give it a try.
- Do you like to have high-level intellectual discussions, or even friendly back and forth banter with different points of view? Come to the Great Debate and see how much fun it can be. No prior debate experience necessary. This is strictly friendly and fun.
- Would you like to increase your knowledge of Hebrew, so you can feel more engaged, and connected with our services? We can help with that.
- Is there a committee at the Temple that you can bring some expertise, or interest, and help to grow and succeed? We would love to have your help.
- Do you know of neighbors that might be interested in joining our Temple, but you don't feel comfortable enough to discuss membership and programs? Let us know whom to contact, and we can speak with them together and invite them to try our Temple family.
- Would you like to help teach on Sunday mornings? Would you like to help out a little in the Temple office to make the work of communicating with our members a little easier or better? Many hands make for light work.
Find something that you feel passionate about, and step up to the plate. We do our best work when we are eager, invested and passionate about something. Help us grow our family and spirit at Temple.
B'Shalom,
David
June 2010
Larry Hepner
Immediate Past President, Co-Dean-Hebrew Education
D'var Torah - Behar
This week's Torah portion is Behar, meaning in or on the Mount. "And God spoke to Moses ON MOUNT SINAI". This Torah portion is so very appropriate to this service for our Rabbi.
To better understand the significance of this portion it is important to set the context of that period of time in our history.
Consider - This band of Israelites wandering in the wilderness was not a few thousand people, not even tens of thousands. In the book of Numbers, God commands Moses to take a count, a census if you will, of the Israelites. The criteria was to count every male from each tribe that could be fit for military service, that is, capable of bearing arms and defending the Israelites.
When all was completed and tabulated the number was in the neighborhood of 660,000. That was just the able bodied MEN. Now take into account the families that they belong to, their wives, mothers, grandmothers, grandfathers, sisters, infants and younger brothers. You get the idea. These men would be defending a people that could number well over a million. Surrounding peoples knew this was not a group to be ignored nor taken lightly.
Consider - The Israelites were adherents to a single God, not many gods. This God was invisible, not like the gods of surrounding populations. Even Moses was not allowed to see God's face! How hard would this be for other peoples to comprehend this? How would rulers of other nations or kingdoms view this? As a threat maybe?
Also consider - The Israelites themselves struggled to comprehend and adhere to the commandments of God when they started out.
And that leads us to the content of this Torah Portion.
First it deals with the commandment regarding the Sabbatical year. "During the Sabbath-Year the land was to lie fallow and was to be released from cultivation." Every 7th year nothing would be grown on that field. We now know that the constant tilling and growing crops on the same plot of ground will eventually deplete the soil. For those that observe the Shemittah or Sabbatical year, the 6th year's crop would be a bumper crop to carry the people through the loss of that field's production. Does that ring a bell?
Think of the double portion of mana that the Israelites recieved before Shabbat since mana would not appear on the Sabbath.
Here's where it gets interesting. At the end of seven Sabbatical years, that would be 7 times 7 or 49 years, God commanded, "And you shall hallow the Fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee unto you and you shall return every man to his possession and return every man to his family." Servants that were bonded to serve a master would be released from their bond. The lands that had to be mortgaged would be returned to the owners. "The permanent accumulation of land in the hands of the few was prevented, and those whom fault or misfortune had thrown into poverty were given a second chance."
This is astounding. Again consider the peoples surrounding the Israelites. What was their concept of the individual and freedom and protections of those less fortunate? The common people of pagan lands did not have value as an individual person. The ruling class was the province of privilege. The peasants could work 24/7 without a break and did not have a chance for a different lot in life. No wonder the other peoples couldn't understand these revolutionary concepts.
But this idea, on the fiftieth year - a leveling of the playing field, again ties us to our observance today. Consider again, all of us, as we commemorate the Rabbi's 50th year of service as a Rabbi, his Jubilee. Consider what our Rabbi has done to level our playing field with spiritual guidance, a compassionate ear, a love for our children, standing with us in times of joy and sadness, touching the lives of several generations of all of us.
So you see, on this Jubilee, we all …are the students…of our teacher, our Rabbi.
Shabbat Shalom,
Larry Hepner
May 2010
Brian Jenkinson
Financial Secretary
Passover has passed, but I still want to share some of my earliest memories because of the important lessons they hold. My memories date back to Passover at my uncle's house. My grandfather, who emigrated from Hungary , read the Haggadah in Hebrew. Most of the men sat at the table with him; the women went directly into the kitchen. Being the youngest child of the youngest child, I had to read the four questions every year.
After the Passover dinner everyone went into the living room but my grandfather would stay at the table and read the Haggadah to the end. After he passed away the Passover celebration moved to my mother's house. My uncle read from the "Maxwell House" Haggadah; I still read the four questions. My mother did all the cooking. Some years we had "sinker" matzo balls; other years we had floaters. One year my mother created the "ginger" matzo ball...when she experimented by adding ginger to her recipe. My family still enjoys that experiment to this day.
Now that I'm married we have the "rotating" seder: we alternative who gets the first night of Passover to keep peace. My own children now do the four questions.
My in-laws' Passover is different than my family's: It's the 30-minute Seder and my mother-in-law's matzo balls always float! My own family's Seder has gone through some changes also. We now rotate reading the Haggadah...but they are the same Maxwell house Hagaddahs we used more than 25 years ago.
We host Passover at our house in conjunction with my in-laws, who are snow birds. Now I lead the 30-minute Seder, and we rotate through the passages. My mother still has a Seder at her house but she has delegated the cooking to my sister and nieces.
My point to all of this isn't to share the trivial details of my personal Seder traditions. It's to emphasize the common thread: the "we" which is synonymous for family. As the years go by, people come in and out of our families in many different ways. Lives get increasingly complicated, but at Passover we get a chance to sit across the table and spend some "quality time," reliving family traditions and inventing new ones – whatever they are.
So whatever your preference – ginger matzo balls or the Manischewitz recipe – let's remember to treasure these little pockets of time. They provide us with memories and traditions that we and our children will carry for many years to come.
More than anything else, I think family gatherings like the Passover Seder, and all the details specific to our own broods, are really the essence of Judaism. They are our best guarantee that our faith, beliefs and traditions will live on in our children. And you thought that was just a matzo ball!
B'Shalom
Brian
April 2010
John Franklin
John Franklin is a proud member of Temple Beth Elohim and the husband of Board Member Nicole Franklin
A Member of The Greatest Generation
As my father's 92nd birthday is approaching, I have been filled with thoughts about his life and accomplishments. Some might say that reaching his age is quite an accomplishment in of itself and I would agree. However, it is also apparent that our lives are also measured by the impact we have made on others while we are here. I wanted to share with all of you some of the special accomplishments of my father, Sidney N. Franklin, some of which only became known to me in more recent years.
Sidney Franklin grew up in Philadelphia, PA., the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. He grew up at a time in our country when anti-Semitism was an ugly and unfortunate way of life. My father had to rise above such challenges, even in being able to go to college and later to Medical School at the University of Pennsylvania. In those days, there were quotas on the number of Jews that were allowed to enroll in schools. He went on to become a doctor and after the attack on Pearl Harbor, enlisted in the United States Army. In a soft-spoken manner, I recall my father telling us the occasional story about his eventual deployment to Europe after D-Day, his memories of the "Battle of the Bulge" and his showing us some pictures from those years as a young officer. What he did not tell us and what I only learned about some 13 years ago was something much more painful and disturbing.
On May 16, 1997, my father was interviewed by the Shoah Foundation. From the interview and subsequent video I watched, I learned that my father was one of the first Americans to liberate the now infamous Buchenwald Death Camp. He recounted with great horror and tears the terrible sights, sounds and smells that one could only imagine. His reaction to this horror was not just as a human being witnessing such inhumanity, but as a fellow Jew unaware of much of the Holocaust that had been sweeping across Europe. While communicating to prisoners in Hebrew, he aided in their ultimate rescue and recovery. He tended to the sick and wounded, helping to save as many lives as possible while stemming the tide of death perpetrated by the Nazis.
One may ask the question: why didn't he share these stories with us while we were growing up? Perhaps it was his own explanation that he had a new family to raise, a profession that needed him in the here and now. Perhaps it was in the re-living of such trauma that was too much to bare. Whatever the answer, it seems less important than the deed itself that was of far more importance. I'm sure that my father would never have considered himself a hero. This seems to be the case as well for the millions of people now described as "America's Greatest Generation." We know now that it was their sacrifice and unselfish service that saved the world now as we know it. I am teaching my children that Grandpa was part of that effort, but also much more. They are learning that Sidney Franklin was a fine father, provider, and honor to his profession and… a War Hero. I saw my father recently in Atlanta where he is now residing in a Nursing Home facility. I spoke to him of the great pride my family and I have of him of his many accomplishments. And in that soft-spoken way of his that brought both a smile and a tear to my eye, he said "that's nice."
B'Shalom
John
February 2010
Allan Mendelsohn
Parliamentarian
My Rabbi:
As most of you know, on May 22, 2010 the congregation will be holding a gala dinner-dance at Vista on the Hill. This special event will be more than an evening of cocktails and dinner catered by Jean Jacques followed by dancing to the music of the Tony T. Orchestra. It will be a night to honor the man whom I and I believe many others consider the heart of our congregation: Rabbi Acrish. It celebrates Rabbi's 50th year as a rabbi in America. I realize that I have known him for one-half of those years.
It has been almost 25 years since our family joined Temple Beth Elohim. We had come from another congregation, and I was somewhat hesitant about joining a new Temple whose members I did not know. We had considered several other synagogues, but we were having trouble deciding which to join. Then someone told us about a small congregation in Brewster with a "wonderful rabbi". I wondered if the "movie would live up to the preview". A visit to the building on Route 22 to attend Shabbat service and to meet the Rabbi led to our decision to join. Any apprehension I may have felt quickly disappeared as we were quickly made to feel welcome by Rabbi Acrish and the congregation. We soon realized that we had joined more than a building; we had joined a family. There were fewer members in 1985, and both the size of the congregation and the building itself gave a feeling of intimacy. However, our familial feelings were nurtured foremost by our experiences with Rabbi Acrish.
As the years rolled by, our children, Jana and Ian, attended religious school, became B'nei Mitzvah, and they too came to know and to love the Rabbi. Their feeling continued even after they "left the nest". When my son, Ian, received a letter from the Rabbi inviting him to a Shabbat service for college students, he came home to attend. When I told him that I was somewhat surprised at his making the train trip from Skidmore, he simply replied: "My rabbi asked me to come: how could I not?" In 2005, when my daughter, Jana, was planning her wedding in Waltham, MA, she called to ask me if I thought the Rabbi would perform the ceremony. She had been away for 7 years and yet her thoughts still turned to the Rabbi. And of course, the Rabbi said “Yes.” He drove over 150 miles on an October afternoon to officiate and share our joy.
The Rabbi has shared our family's tears as well. He had been there to help us through periods of illness and loss. His presence and caring concern eased such difficult times.
Our website carries an interview of the Rabbi by then two young students of the religious school. The Rabbi summarized his duties:
The word Rabbi means teacher. I see teaching young people as my primary responsibility. I like teaching adults too. I do counseling as well. When people have problems, they ask for help and advice. I visit people when they are sick...
Rabbi Acrish has been all these things and more to us. As those students concluded: "Rabbi Acrish is a very important part of our temple community. We hope he continues to be with us because we know our temple would not be the same without him."
So I urge all of you to attend the Gala to join in paying tribute to our teacher, counselor, spiritual advisor, and inspiration. I know that Eileen and I shall be there to honor the man whom I have known these 25 years and whom I have the privilege and good fortune to call my Rabbi and my friend.
B'Shalom
Allan
